


A Collaboration

by angelsfalling16



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Angst, Filming, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Sharing Clothes, YouTube
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:59:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24957232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelsfalling16/pseuds/angelsfalling16
Summary: Simon and Baz are YouTubers who meet up and decide to collaborate on a video. When it becomes a competition, there's no telling who will win.Remix for pipsqueakparker's Like & Subscribe
Relationships: Penelope Bunce & Simon Snow, Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow
Comments: 19
Kudos: 119
Collections: Carry On Remix





	A Collaboration

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pipsqueakparker (lafbaeyette)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lafbaeyette/gifts).



> If we're being honest, this fic feels a bit like a collaboration with @caitybug and when she suggested the title, I knew it was perfect. Her help was vital for me to get this fic finished and ready for people to view it. I cannot possibly thank her enough for all of her help.

**Baz**

Simon Snow is in my flat. He is in the other room, sitting on my couch with his friend, Penny, while they wait for me to go back out there, and I am in here trying not to freak out about it.

I thought I would have enough time to finish getting ready before they showed up, but they got here early, and I had to answer the door in a worn pair of my old trackies. I felt so completely underdressed in front of them that I may as well have just walked out wearing my pants and nothing else.

I’m changing now before I have to go back out there and face Snow and whatever inane video he has planned for us to create.

I was initially against this whole thing when he pitched the idea. Not the meeting up with him part – I would gladly do that as often as he wanted to – but the type of video where you do some kind of challenge.

He kept saying that it would be good for my followership, to help grow my channel and all. I don’t care about that, but he was sitting across from me in that little café with such an open, hopeful smile, asking me to do this for him, and there was no way that I could say no. I would do anything to have him smile at me like that again.

When I first met him, I never thought things would end up like this.

We met at a conference a while back, some event for TikTok to try to get YouTube creators to be involved. He seemed interesting enough, so I decided to follow him. I was interested in seeing what he was all about. I even thought maybe a collab video would be good for us.

I did not, however, expect to start falling for him. The way he smiles brightly at the camera, how goofy he can be, and how completely sincere he feels through the screen. 

His energy alone was enough to pull me in. I was merely a moth to his flame, destined to burn up, but never able to back off. 

Somehow those events led me here, about to do a video with Snow.

The man I’m hopelessly attracted to.

_Hopelessly in love with._

I trade my trackies for a nicer pair of grey trousers, and I throw on one of my favorite shirts. It has a flower with a hummingbird stitched over the left side. I read somewhere once that hummingbirds symbolize playfulness and adaptability, and I think I’m going to need some of that to get through this afternoon with Simon.

Quickly pulling my hair up into a bun, I walk back out to join Simon and Penny.

It isn’t long before we head to my office, where Penny starts directing and filming us as Simon tells me his idea for the video.

“Baz Pitch, you are the most fashionable man on the internet right now,” is how he starts, and I feel my face start to warm immediately at his compliment. I need to try to keep my reactions to a minimum so he doesn’t see how much he affects me. “Not that I’m the leading authority on that,” he continues, glancing down at his own outfit, “but I doubt many would disagree with me. So, I thought it’d be fun to put your skills to the test here and try styling some pieces you wouldn’t typically wear out as a day look.”

I raise a brow at him. He must have really put some thought into this.

“Have you got anything in particular in mind, Snow?” I ask, wondering just how much planning he had done for this.

“Yes,” he says excitedly, and when Penny tosses him a bag, I have to admit that I’m impressed by the way she’s able to do it while still keeping the camera steady. Simon opens the bag as he continues talking. “ At first, I thought it would be fun to take you shopping and let you choose your own options. But _then_ , I thought it’d be more of a challenge if we brought you _these_.”

He pulls a bundle of clothing from the bag, and I’m a little stunned by what I see when he shakes it out to show me. I reach out to touch the pink, flowery outfit, a little bewildered by it.

“Are these pyjamas?” I ask.

“Yup.” Simon is grinning, looking totally pleased with himself, and I have to fight not to smile back because apparently his smile is contagious. “Today, Baz Pitch, fashion icon, is going to style some pyjamas into a day and a night look.”

***

As I’m going through my closet, searching for clothes that would somehow make this outfit complete, Simon seems to grow a little restless while watching me from my bed. It isn’t long before he decides to make this into a _competition_.

We will both be creating outfits for me to style and competing for a dinner.

The loser buys dinner for the winner.

Crowley, I’m a lost cause. 

No matter what, this is resulting in a dinner with Simon Snow. That’s what I keep thinking about as I dig through my clothes. Sitting down to have dinner with him, and it almost distracts me from what I am supposed to be doing here.

However, I love a good competition. I just can’t decide if I’d rather win or lose. 

We are working in close quarters, in my _closet_ to find clothes to use for us to style. 

There’s a moment when we both reach for the same belt and our hands touch.

It feels like a spark runs down my arm from the contact. 

“Sorry,” he mutters, quickly pulling his hand back.

“I’m sure touching such nice clothes is new to you,” I smirk. 

He rolls his eyes and continues going through my closet. I’d be worried that he took offense, but he is smiling as he continues.

My hand tingles for several moments after. I feel a little drunk off it if I’m being honest. 

If one small accidental brush gets me feeling this way, imagine the way I’d feel if it was on _purpose_. 

When we finish I go to change my clothes. It feels weird, being in his pyjamas. His pants are a bit too short on me, but I’ve made it work. 

_They smell like him_.

I almost want to keep them for longer just to keep that scent around. It’s heady, strong, but also tasty. 

I shake my head, unable to let my thoughts continue down this road. I _cannot_ get a boner while filming a video.

First of all, these clothes would leave _nothing_ to the imagination. 

Second… well… Simon would see.

When I step back out of the bathroom, I am pleased by the look on Simon’s face. He’s in the middle of a conversation with Penny, but he stops talking to turn and look at me. His mouth drops open, and he cheeks flush.

I smirk at him. Apparently, he’s never seen someone who actually knows how to dress themselves in nice things. He seems completely stunned by that fact, or maybe it’s the fact that I actually manage to pull off these pyjamas that I’m sure he brought to try to humiliate me.

“Fuck, Baz, this is brilliant,” Penny says, and it snaps me out of this staring contest that I’ve been having with Simon. “Go back in, let me get a shot of you coming into the room.”

I feel a bit ridiculous going back into the bathroom, but it gives me a chance to pull myself out of my thoughts, where I was imagining what might happen if Penny wasn’t there. If I were able to take a bit longer to relish in Simon’s reactions before figuring out what it means.

When I walk back out, Simon seems to have gotten his reaction to my outfit under control, and Penny gets to work filming different shots. She directs me where to go, and I do as she says. I have no reason not to listen to her, and it is actually kind of nice to be filming with someone else and being able to bounce ideas off of each other.

Simon’s rapt attention on me doesn’t hurt too much either.

Once we think we’ve gotten enough footage, we return to my room, and I turn to Simon curious about what he’s got planned for me to wear.

“Alright, Snow, let’s see it.”

“Umm, right.” He doesn’t look at me as he hands me a bundle of clothes. He seems nervous, and I simply quirk a brow at him, waiting for him to do or say something else.

“Any directions here?” I ask.

“Wh-what?”

“How should I wear these? The competition was that you style an outfit. You can’t just give me the clothes and expect me to style them for a minute.

He stares at me for a minute, worrying at his bottom lip with his teeth. “A-are you telling me to _dress_ you?”

I feel my face warm, and I try to hide the way his question catches me off guard. I suppose that’s what I’m doing, but he didn’t have to make it sound quite like that.

I clear my throat and say, “This was your idea,” as if that somehow makes it okay.

It takes him another blustering moment to nod and start giving me directions.

“Take these off, then,” he says, and even though his voice shakes a little, the commanding tone of his voice makes my pulse jump. “The blazer and pyjama top,” he clarifies, and I do as he says.

He watches me quietly with a pensive look as I undress in front of him. I force myself to focus on the task at hand and the camera that is trained on us so that my thoughts don’t stray too far and don’t put me into an uncomfortable situation.

He directs me to put on the sheer shirt that he handed to me. It’s an interesting choice.

I pull the shirt on over my head and wait for Simon to tell me what to do next, but he just stands there staring at me. Or rather, my chest. It’s like he’s caught in some kind of trance as his eyes roam over the outfit, and time seems to stand still for a moment.

Then, he shakes his head and doesn’t meet my eyes as he reaches out to adjust the shirt, pulling at a part of it. It feels very close to him caressing my stomach, and to be honest, I wouldn’t be against that. In fact, I would like him to touch me again. I would like to touch _him_.

But this is not the right moment to be thinking about any of that.

He quickly moves on from there, finishing up the outfit without looking up at me, and I feel my face warm even further under his heavy gaze and from how close he is. I’m grateful when he finally takes a step back and gives me a little space because I am so close to do something stupid.

“Ta-da,” He says, and his voice cracks.

I squint at him, curious about his reaction, but I don’t say anything. I’m probably just reading this situation wrong. It wouldn’t do to make a fool of myself by saying the wrong thing.

**Penny**

I was so close to shutting off the camera a moment ago.

Simon couldn’t take his eyes off of Baz’s chest, and Baz couldn’t take his eyes off of Simon. I don’t think they realized just how long they stood frozen like that, neither of them willing to look away. It felt like such a strangely intimate moment that it felt wrong to catch it on camera, but they snapped out of it soon enough.

They can choose to edit that bit out later. Maybe it will force them to talk about what they are clearly both feeling when they see it for themselves.

Or maybe not. Simon has always been pretty oblivious. Sometimes what he needs is just a little push in the right direction, and that is something that can be arranged.

**Simon**

It’s not a surprise to anyone that Baz’s outfit was better than mine.

If I’m being honest, I cared less about winning and more about just seeing Baz in that shirt. Which brings me to the thought that maybe Penny was right, and I’m into Baz. Like, really into him.

After he put that shirt on, all I could think about was him taking off again so that I could look at his chest unobstructed.

I wonder if this means that I like blokes. I never thought that I did, but maybe I was wrong. Or maybe I’m just into this one bloke.

I’m not sure it matters right now. I can think about it later. Or just not think about it ever again.

Since I lost the competition, I’m buying dinner, but as I start figuring out our order, Penny gets a text from someone and starts frowning in a way that I know well.

“Everything okay?” I ask.

“Yeah, I just think that I need to go.”

“Oh,” I say, a little disappointed, but I’m sure Baz will understand. “Okay. Let me just gather our things.”

“No, it’s fine. Why don’t I gather the things, and you can stay here?”

“Are you sure? I could help you with whatever is going on.”

“Yeah, I’m good. It’s just something that can’t wait until tomorrow. But you should stay. Buy Baz dinner and have fun.”

I want to argue more, try to get here to tell me more, but when Penny sets her mind to something, it’s hard to change it. Plus, I don’t really want to leave yet. Even if I didn’t owe Baz dinner, I would still want to spend more time with him.

I nod in agreement with her, and a moment later, Baz steps out of his room, wearing his clothes from earlier again, my pyjamas folded neatly in his hands. Penny moves to take them from him, explaining that she has to head out early as she starts packing away the camera and stuff.

She leaves pretty quickly after that.

And then it’s just me and Baz.

***

I buy us Indian takeaway, just like I promised, and I can’t help but _feel_ Penny’s absence in the room. 

It feels more… I don’t know- intimate? Like I’m not quite sure what to do with my hands. 

_What do I usually do with my hands when I just sit? What is normal?_

I do what I usually do when I’m nervous, I ramble. My stomach is growling at me, so I can’t help but think about food. 

_God, I am so excited for samosas_. 

Baz is putting away his equipment, so I am sure I must be annoying him. But I can’t stop myself.

I see a small smile at some point, so I must not be doing so bad for myself. 

_Maybe we could film a mukbang at some point?_

I would _love_ to see Baz with a table filled with Maccies in front of him. 

We move to his lounge when the food arrives, talking, laughing, and scrolling through YouTube videos. 

He shows me some of the beauty guru channels he follows. I feel insecure for a moment, as there is no way he _won’t_ judge me based on the gaming videos I watch.

It’s weird though, seeing this side of Baz. Seeing what he appreciates. 

Showing him what _I_ like too. It feels vulnerable. 

I can’t help but watch his face as I click videos to show him. 

It’s like I’m asking him to please like them.

 _Please like_ me.

As we finish our food, we keep watching the videos, lightly bickering over who has the worst taste and should not have control over it.

I’m not sure when we drift so close, but suddenly I am aware of my leg pressed up against Baz’s, and I don’t want to move.

 _That feels nice_. 

I keep talking and scrolling, trying to show him this video that I _swear_ I _just_ watched two days ago. 

I risk moving a little closer, putting my head on his shoulder, just to test the waters.

He doesn’t move.

 _Interesting_. 

I finally find it and hit play, and I can’t seem to stop myself. It’s as if touching Baz is a drug and I don’t want to quit. 

I put my hand on his knee, trying to act like it’s nothing.

_It is nothing, right? I’m only excited to show him this video._

It’s definitely something though.

I want to touch him more, but at this point I don’t know how I can without literally straddling him. 

_Could I? Could I sit on your lap Baz?_

I can hardly pay attention to what is playing on the screen.

I’m thinking hard about how I could possibly touch Baz more without it being weird, when he surprises me. He moves his arm, eyes steadily watching the video, and rests it on my waist. 

It feels like a jolt, and I’m trying my hardest not to scare him away. I don’t want him to move it, to leave. 

I keep watching and we relax into each other as if this is a natural thing that we always do. 

I smile to myself, letting the words of the video wash over me. I like this one, they make some Shrek jokes. 

I wonder what Baz thinks of Shrek? Maybe I should ask. 

I try to focus on what’s going on, but my thoughts keep coming back to the fact that Baz is holding me, that he is so _close_. 

I take a glance at him at the same moment that his eyes move back to the screen.

 _Interesting_. 

“You aren’t watching the video,” I say softly, breaking whatever invisible pact we had to not discuss what is happening. 

“You don’t know that,” he says. His eyes are wide, obviously realizing he has been caught. 

“Were you paying attention to any of it?”

“I was a little…out of it.” He says, pausing in between. 

I see a clock on the wall nearby.

 _Oh fuck it’s late_. Maybe he’s just been waiting for me to leave. 

“Oh, you’re right. It’s getting late. I should probably head home soon.”

I sit up and stretch. 

My body feels weird without him so close. 

I start to clean up the food containers we left, not wanting to leave a mess for him, but then Baz stops me. 

“You don’t have to clean up. I can do that.”

“I helped make the mess. I should help. I don’t want to leave you with it all.”

“Alright, but you don’t have to go.”

“What?”

I blink. 

Baz coughs and looks at the rug beneath our feet. “It’s late. You could stay here if you wanted.”

“Oh. I–. Y-you don’t have to do that.”

“I’m not doing anything. I have a sofa, and it pulls out into a bed, so it really wouldn’t be much of a bother. And you could help me start editing some of the footage in the morning if you want.” 

I want to say yes immediately, but I don’t want to seem eager.

I don’t want to impose after making him hold me on the sofa all night. 

I can’t help myself, however, and I nod. 

Baz smiles and I have to blink a few times. 

_It’s so bright. I need to get sunglasses_. 

He walks me back to his room and gives me a set of sweats and a tshirt. 

_They smell like him_. 

I frown.

“Baz?” I look up at him. 

He isn’t letting go of the clothes. 

The next few steps happen so quickly. He lets go of the clothes, which slip to the ground, and he is in front of me.

His hands are on either side of my face and he is searching my own for something. For an answer.

 _Is this okay?_

I smile up at him and move my hands to his waist, hoping that answers the question for him. 

_I think he might kiss me_. 

He’s still searching my eyes for something. I’m just, not sure what. 

_God I wish he would just kiss me_. 

A few moments pass, my hands on his waist, his hands on my cheeks, our breaths filling the same space.

I decide I’ve waited long enough, and I lean up and kiss him. 

I wonder for a moment that I chose the wrong thing, but he melts into me nearly immediately. 

It’s soft and luscious, and everything I could have hoped from kissing Baz. 

_I definitely wanted to kiss Baz_. 

When we pull away, I am breathless and dazed and stupid soft for this guy. I can’t stop smiling. I don’t think I ever will, to be perfectly honest, not when I see the way he is looking down at me. His grey eyes filled with warmth and care, lips a little wet and swollen because of me. 

I smile back up at him. 

I can’t believe I just kissed him, but I don’t regret it. I loved it.

“So. Bed?” Baz asks, breaking the silence. 

“Um yeah. Sure.” I nod and move to grab the pyjamas. 

My brain still feels fuzzy. 

“Goodnight, Simon,” he whispers.

I turn at the door with a bright grin. “Goodnight, Baz.”

I don’t know what will happen tomorrow or even the next day, but as my heart stutters in my chest, the uncertainty feels okay. This is new and soft, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

All I can think about as I try to fall asleep is being back in the moment, in his embrace, his lips against mine, wrapped in his scent.

**Author's Note:**

> I was happy to receive pip for the remix, and when I read this fic, I knew that I wanted to do something with it. I played around a bit with the idea of what would happen if Penny hadn't been there while they were filming, and I ended up deciding that the fic worked really well with her there for at least part of it, which is how I came up with the idea for her to leave part way through and see what happened.
> 
> There was a moment where I briefly considered tying up the fic with them getting together at the end, but I like the way that pip left their fic open. But I'm also a sucker for first kiss moments, so I did change it up a bit.
> 
> Anyway, thank you all for reading. I hope you liked it!
> 
> Be sure to read pip's fic and come find me on Tumblr: @angelsfalling16


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